


Growing Pains

by StBridget



Series: The Spies and the Baby [1]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Adoption, Established Relationship, Family, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Kid Fic, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-03-15 16:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13616913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StBridget/pseuds/StBridget
Summary: A baby found at the home of a suspected terrorist turns Mac and Jack's world upside down.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> MacGyver is property of CBS and its creators.
> 
> Rating primarily for language.
> 
> For KTT2123 who wanted a kid fic where they adopt and fluffy adorableness ensues. May take a bit to get there, but hopefully this will satisfy you!

It was an unassuming, 1,000 sq ft, three-bedroom house in Whittier.  Your typical, suburban, middle class home—manicured lawn, tree in the yard, flowering bushes alongside the house, two-car garage—everything screamed “up and coming young professional”.  It certainly didn’t look like the home of a suspected domestic terrorist.  Phoenix’s intel was solid, though—this was the home of the man potentially responsible for the bombing of several non-Christian places of worship, including both a major synagogue and a major mosque, at the cost of several lives.

There didn’t seem to be any activity, but Jack Dalton and his assault team were on alert.  They cautiously approached the house, weapons at the ready.  Jack took up position by the side of the door, counting down on his fingers.  When he reached three, he kicked the door down, and the team poured in.

The room was empty, just furniture and bare shelves.  No sign that anybody lived there.  There was no dust, though, so in all likelihood the house had been occupied until a short while ago.  Jack motioned to the others to spread out and check the rest of the house.

Just then, a wailing caught Jack’s attention.  What the fuck?  It sounded for all the world like a baby crying, but what would a baby be doing it what otherwise appeared to be an empty house?  Jack made his way down the hall towards the back bedroom where the noise seemed to be coming from.  He crashed through the door and swung his weapon around.  Nothing, except—yep, there it was in the corner—a crib and, apparently, the source of the wailing.

Jack lowered his weapon and approached the crib, peering in.  A chubby, little, blonde, blue-eyed baby—a girl if the pink polka-dot onesie was any indication—peered back at him.  “Son of a bitch,” Jack cursed.  Raising his voice, he shouted to the rest of his team, “Back here!  I’ve got something!”

The rest of the team crowded in the doorway, guns still drawn.  When they saw no threat, they lowered them.  One of them approached the crib and looked in.  “A baby?!?  Who the hell goes off and leaves a baby behind?”

“Someone who’s not going to be happy if I ever get hold of them,” Jack said, grimly.  He didn’t specify what he’d do, but his men were pretty sure, whatever it was, the person would wish they’d never been born, and they probably weren’t going to be having any other children in the near future, either.  “What are we going to do with a baby?” Jack asked.  It was an honest question; assault teams really weren’t equipped to handle babies.

“Get her to stop wailing?” the man next to him suggested.

“And how are we going to do that?” Jack wanted to know.

The man shrugged.  “Don’t ask me.  I don’t know anything about babies.”

Jack looked around.  “Any of the rest of you know anything about kids?”

A chorus of “noes” and shakes of the head were all he got.  “Who’s got time for a family?” one man said.

Jack had to admit he had a point; their job wasn’t really conducive to long-term relationships.  Jack was probably the only one in the room in a stable relationship, and that was mostly because his partner, Angus “Mac” MacGyver, was a spy, too.  Guess it was up to him, then.  Jack awkwardly pick up the baby, holding her under the arms in front of her, legs dangling.  She immediately stopped crying and looked at him curiously.  “Well, what do you know?” Jack said, amazed. 

“I think she likes you,” one of the men said.

“Probably thinks you’re funny looking,” another one quipped.

“Hah, hah, very funny,” Jack said, sarcastically.  He was at a loss what to do next.  “I guess we take her with us.”  He looked around.  “Anybody see a carrier?”

“Nothing,” one of the men said.  “Looks like they cleared out before we got here.”

“Great, just great,” Jack grumbled.  “Guess we carry her.  Any takers?”  He was greeted with the sound of crickets chirping.

“You’re the one who got her to stop crying,” the man standing next to Jack pointed out.

“Fine,” Jack sighed.  He tried frantically to remember the last time he held a baby (never).  He then tried to picture the last time he saw someone holding one and how they did it.  Clumsily, he managed to cradle the infant in his arms.  “There you go, sweetheart,” Jack cooed at her.  “Let’s go find someone who knows what to do with you, how does that sound?”  The baby smiled and gurgled at him, and Jack couldn’t help but smile back.  Okay, maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.  “Let’s head back to Phoenix,” he said to the rest of his men.  “Matty’s going to love this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a vague idea where I'm going, but I'm not sure how far I'm going to take this. That's largely up to you guys. ;) I can do just a few days leading up to the adoption, I can go a month or so past that for extra adorableness, or I can extend it indefinitely into the future, either in this fic or as a series. Thoughts?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby meets the team, they learn her history, and decisions are made.

“What is that?” Matty demanded as soon as Jack entered the war room, pointing at the bundle in his arms.

“It’s a baby,” Jack said in his best “duh” voice.

“I can see that,” Matty snapped.  “What’s it doing here?”

“She,” Jack corrected.

“What is _she_ doing here?”

“We found her at the site.  Apparently, she was abandoned,” Jack explained.

“Who the hell abandons a baby?  And, more importantly, what are we going to do with her?”

The baby woke up and began to wail.  Jack rocked her and spoke soothingly to her.  “Shh, shh, it’s okay.  Matilda the Hun didn’t mean to upset you.”  The child immediately stopped crying.

“Stop making goo-goo eyes and answer my question,” Matty said.

Jack sighed.  “I don’t know.  That’s why I brought her here.  I was hoping you’d know what to do.”

“Well, I don’t,” Matty said.  She looked around at the assembled team.  “Somebody call Child Services.”

Jack clutched the infant protectively to his chest.  “You can’t do that!  She’s already been abandoned once.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re getting attached to her,” Matty said.

“I am not!” Jack protested.  “It’s just, she’s so helpless.  How could you look at that face and not want to help her?”

Riley Davis, their technical analyst, peered at the bundle.  She extended a tentative finger, and the child latched onto it with one tiny hand.  “She is kind of cute.”

Jack beamed as though the child were his own.  “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?”  He turned to Matty.  “Tell me you’re not going to turn her in.”

“Fine, I’m not going to turn her in,” Matty said with a sigh.

“See, Auntie Matty’s not going to make you go with some stranger.  I knew she wasn’t heartless,” Jack cooed to the baby, who gurgled in response.

“Oh, I’m heartless,” Matty said.  “But you have a point about not turning her over.  We really should have more information first.”  She started barking orders.  “Riley, run a search and see if you can tie a baby to any of our suspected terrorists.  Mac, get Jill to run a DNA test.  Bozer, go to the store and get supplies for our guest.  Jack, take her down to medical and get her checked out.”

“Why do I have to go shopping?” Wilt Bozer, lab tech and sometimes team member, whined.  “I don’t know anything about babies.”

 “Here,” Jack said, reaching into his pocket, “I made a list.”

Everyone else stared at him in surprise.

Jack shrugged.  “I may have looked it up on Google on the way back.”

“Why, Dalton, I never would have pegged you for a baby person,” Matty said.

“I’m not, but somebody has to look after her,” Jack said.

Matty seemed to accept his response.  She looked around at the team.  “What are you waiting for?  You have your orders.  Now, go!”

The team scattered.  Since they were going the same way, Mac accompanied his lover down to medical.  Jack cooed and made faces at the child the whole way, and she smiled and laughed in response.

“You’re really good with her,” Mac said.

Jack interrupted his cooing long enough to answer Mac.  “I guess I’m just a natural.  I mean, who can resist the Dalton charm?”

Mac chuckled.  “Certainly not me.  And, apparently, not babies, either.”  They reached medical and went in.

One of the doctors spotted them and made his way over.  “Well, what do we have here?” he said in a booming voice.

“Why does everyone ask that?” Jack complained.  “It’s a baby, what do you think it is?”  The infant started to fuss, and once again Jack soothed her.  “Sorry, darlin’, didn’t mean to upset you.  It’s just that people keep asking stupid questions, yes, they do.”

The doctor chose not to be offended.  He held out his arms.  “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

Jack clutched his charge to his chest and turned away, shielding her from the doctor.  “What are you going to do?” he asked, suspiciously.

“I’m just going to check her over.  You can stay right here if you want.”

“You better believe I’m not going anywhere,” Jack said.  “I’m not going to abandon you, sweetheart, no, I’m not,” he simpered to the baby.

Mac rolled his eyes at Jack.  “We need a DNA sample, too,” he chimed in.

“I’ll do that right now.”  The doctor took the child from Jack, who reluctantly released his hold.  She immediately started fussing.

“Are you sure she’ll be okay?” Jack asked, anxiously.

“She’s fine,” the doctor said.  He took advantage of her open mouth to swab her cheek and handed it to Mac.  “Here you go.”

“I’ll get this to Jill right away,” Mac said.  He left, leaving Jack and the doctor alone with the infant.

The doctor checked the child over with sure hands while Jack hovered nearby.  “How is she, doc?” the soldier asked when the exam was complete.

“She’s hungry, and she needs changing,” the doctor said.  “Other than that, there’s some signs of malnutrition and dehydration, but nothing serious.”

Jack was outraged.  “How could anyone do that to a little baby?  Just wait until I get hold of her parents.”  He took the baby back from the doctor.  “Don’t worry, darlin’, nobody’s going to hurt you from now on.  Not with Jack Dalton looking out for you.”  He turned back to the doctor.  “How old is she?”

“I’d say about 4-5 months,” the doctor said.

“So, what do I feed her?” Jack wanted to know.  “She doesn’t need. . .” he made an awkward gesture in front of his chest. . .”you know, breasts?”

The doctor chuckled.  “Formula should be fine.  She can probably start eating some solid foods.”

Jack looked relieved.  “Okay, good, I can deal with that.  Anything else I should know?”

“Not right now,” the doctor said.  “I might have some formula and a diaper if you need it.”

“Got it covered,” Jack said.  “Thanks, doc.”  He addressed the bundle in his arms.  “Come on, honey, let’s go see what Uncle Bozer got for you.”

Jack got back to the war room just as Bozer returned, laden down with bags, a baby carrier dangling from his arms.  Jack went to reach for the bags, forgetting he had a baby in his arms.  He looked at her, at a loss what to do.

Mac untangled the carrier from Bozer’s arms and took the baby from Jack, carefully placing her in the carrier.  Jack was worried that she’d start fussing again, but she just kicked her legs and smiled up at Mac.  Part of Jack was jealous that she seemed to like someone other than him, but part of him was glad she was responding positively to his lover.  Jack refused to think about why that was important to him.

“Now what?” Mac asked.

“Doc said she needed feeding and changing,” Jack said.

“Okay, how do we do that?” Mac said.

“I was hoping one of you would know,” Jack said.

“Not me.  Only child, remember?  And no children you don’t know about, sorry.”

“Me, neither,” Bozer said.  “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no babies.”

“Riley?”

“What makes you think I know anything?” Riley said.

“Well, you’re a woman.”

“So, that means I know about babies?  Sexist, Jack,” she said.

Jack looked at the one person left in the room.  “Do I look like the maternal type?” Matty demanded.

“Guess it’s up to you,” Mac said.

“Um, okay.”  Jack turned to Bozer.  “Did you get formula?”

Bozer held up two cans.  “Yeah.  I wasn’t sure what to get, so I got both liquid and powder.”

Jack took the cans and peered at them.  “We’ll use liquid.  It looks easier.  You did get a bottle, right?”

Bozer looked offended.  “Of course I did.  I do know that much.”

Jack took the bottle Bozer handed him.  “Okay, it says to heat the formula.  I’ll do that while you guys change her.”

A chorus of noes in various degrees of adamant greeted him.

“You change her,” Bozer said.

“I don’t know how!” Jack protested.

“Well, neither do I!” Bozer shot back.

Mac jumped in before things could get more heated.  “I think we’ve established none of us know what to do.  We’ll just have to do the best we can.  Bozer, why don’t you heat the formula while Jack and I figure out how to change her diaper.”

“Thanks, Mac,” Jack said, sincerely, grateful for his lover’s support.  The soldier opened the package of diapers and held one up, staring at it dumbly.  “Now what?”

“Here, let me.”  Mac took the diaper from Jack.  The younger man unfastened the existing diaper and made a face at the mess.  “Whoo, I’d say she does need changing.  Do we have wipes and powder?”

Jack rooted in the bag and triumphantly held up the requested items.  Mac took them and made quick work of changing the diaper.

“I thought you didn’t know how to do that,” Jack said, awed.

Mac shrugged.  “I don’t, but it wasn’t too hard to figure out what went where.”

“I would have messed it up,” Jack said.

“That’s why I did it.”  Mac tickled the girl’s belly.  “There, all better, right?”  She burbled at him.

Jack had to smile at Mac.  It gave him a warm feeling to see his lover interacting with the baby.  It also gave him ideas, but Jack shoved those to the back of his mind.

“Now that that’s done,” Matty said, “what do you have, Riley?”

“I was able to track a birth certificate to our terrorist.  Says here, the baby is Kelly Burns, age 4 ½ months”—so the doctor was right, Jack thought.

“What about her mother?” Matty asked.

Riley scanned the information in front of her.  “Mother was a 17-year-old girl.  Parents disowned her and signed the rights to the child over to the father.”

Jack made a face.  “Great, not only does he kill innocent people, he takes advantage of young girls.  Great guy.”  If Jack ever found him, he’d last about as long as it took Jack to take out his gun and shoot him.

Matty ignored Jack.  “Relatives?”

“Father has one brother, also involved in the same extremist group as our terrorist.  Mother is in assisted living, father is dead.”

“So, she has no one,” Matty summarized.  “Time to call Child Services.”

“No!” Jack shouted, leaning over the baby and sheltering her.  “You can’t do that!”

“What choice do we have?” Matty demanded.  “You don’t think I’m going to turn her over to terrorists, do you?”

“You’d better not,” Jack said fiercely.

“Well, then, Child Services is our only option.  Unless you want to take care of her.”  Matty was being snarky, but Jack got a look on his face.

Mac caught it, too.  “No, Jack, you can’t be thinking what I think you’re thinking.”

“Why not?” Jack asked.  “We can take better care of her than some strangers.  We don’t know who she’ll end up with.  They could be as bad as her father.”

“Jack, we’re not equipped to handle a baby.”

“Sure we are,” Jack argued.  He waved a hand at the bags around them.  “We have everything we need.”

“Our jobs aren’t really conducive to having a baby,” Mac said.  “Who’s going to look after her when we’re away on missions?”

Jack looked at Matty, hopefully.

“Do I look like a babysitter?” Matty said.

Jack’s gaze was pleading.  Matty finally gave in.  “Fine, I’m sure I can find someone here to look after her.  There’s got to be someone who’s good with kids.”

“We’re not registered foster parents,” Mac tried as a last ditch effort.

“I’m sure Matty can pull some strings.”

“I don’t know. . .” Mac said.

“Please,” Jack begged.  “You can’t leave her to fend for herself.  Look at her—she’s so tiny and helpless.”

Mac sighed.  “Okay, fine.  But just until we figure something out.”

Jack beamed.  “You won’t regret it.”

Mac already did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelly gets settled in with Mac and Jack.

The first problem arose when they reached the parking lot. 

Jack stared at his car, then at the baby.  Bozer had the foresight to get a carrier that doubled as a car seat, but. . .”How are we going to get her home?” Jack asked.  “I don’t have any seatbelts.”

Mac sighed.  “We’ll have to use my car.  Good thing we drove separately.  Mine’s not really suited for a baby, either, but at least it has seatbelts.”

“That’ll do for now,” Jack said.  “We’ll just have to look into getting another car.”  The words slipped out before Jack could really think of the implications.

They weren’t lost on Mac, though.  “Jack, this is temporary,” he reminded his lover.

“I know, I know,” Jack said.  “But you want her to be safe, right?”  Kelly.  He had to remember they had a name now.

Mac sighed.  “Jack, it’s way too soon to be making those kinds of decisions, even if we were going to keep her.  Which we’re not,” he added, firmly, as Jack opened his mouth to say something.

“Fine,” Jack conceded.  The topic wasn’t closed, though; Jack would make sure they revisited it in the near future.

They strapped Kelly into Mac’s car, and Jack followed them home. 

That’s when the second problem arose.

“Where are we going to put her?” Mac asked, looking around the living room.  Bits of gadgets were strewn everywhere.  It was definitely not baby proof.

Jack took it in stride.  “She can stay in her carrier most of the time.  She won’t crawl for another couple of months, so we don’t have to worry about that—we’ll just keep anything dangerous away from her.”

Mac eyed his lover suspiciously.  “You seem to have given this an awful lot of thought, considering we only knew she’d be staying with us a little while ago.”

Jack had the good grace to blush.  “I may have thought about it on the way here, and I may have looked some things up.”

Mac seemed to accept that.  “Where’s she going to sleep?”

“Kelly can sleep with us tonight,” Jack said.  “If we put her between us, she won’t fall off.  Tomorrow, we can buy a crib and clean out the spare room.  Maybe we can even paint it.”  Okay, maybe he was getting a little carried away.  So sue him.  He was going to make sure that little girl had a safe, loving place to stay.  If that happened to be with him and Mac, so much the better.

Jack knew what Mac was going to say before he even opened his mouth.  “Jack, this is _temporary_ ,” the younger man said, stressing the word.  “She can sleep in the living room, and we can see if we can borrow a crib from one of the other Phoenix employees.”

That would have to do for now.  Jack would work on Mac.  The older man was sure his lover would agree to keep Kelly given enough time.  Yeah, Jack could admit to himself he was thinking long term.  He didn’t trust anyone else to watch over the child after what she’d already been through.

Just then, Kelly began fussing, and Jack hurried over to her.  He lifted her into his arms and bounced her a little.  “Hey, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”  He felt her diaper.  “You’re not wet.”  He gave a sniff.  “You don’t stink, either.  You just ate, so it can’t be that.  Do you just want some lovin’?”  He cuddled Kelly to his chest as she immediately settled in, sighing happily.  “Yeah, that’s what you wanted, isn’t it, darlin’?  All better, now?”

Mac watched Jack with the infant.  “You can’t hold her all the time, you know.”

“I know, but it won’t hurt to hold her just a little while.  You probably didn’t get enough love, did you, sweetie?” Jack said to Kelly.

“Fine, but you’re going to have to put her down eventually.  We should find something to entertain her.”  Mac looked through what Bozer had gotten—a floppy stuffed dog almost as big as Kelly, a couple of rattles, a squishy cloth ball, and some small, floppy animals with dangly legs.  The blond frowned.  “None of these are particularly educational.”

Jack rocked Kelly, gently.  “I bet you can build something.”

Mac contemplated that.  “Yeah, I probably could.  Not metal, of course, but I’ve got some bits of wood.  If I make something with lots of moving parts and different shapes, she’ll probably like that.”

Jack hid a smile.  Mac was starting to take an interest already.  “I bet you would, wouldn’t you, little one?” the older man said to the baby.  Kelly burbled in response.  “See, she thinks it’s a great idea.”

Mac had already retreated into his own head.  He grabbed a pencil and paper and sat down at the table, sketching out ideas and muttering over them.

This time, Jack couldn’t suppress a grin.  “Daddy Mac will have something for you in no time.”  Oops.  Jack looked over at Mac to make sure the other man hadn’t heard his slip, but Mac was oblivious.  “Right now, let’s watch a movie, shall we?”

Jack moved to the couch and grabbed the remote, bringing up Netflix.

Mac looked up briefly from his designs.  “You better not be showing her Die Hard.”

Jack was offended.  “Of course not!  Even I know that’s not age-appropriate.”  He scanned the family titles.  There were so many of them.  How was he supposed to know what a four-month-old girl liked?  He hovered over a selection.  “How about Cinderella?  Girls like princess movies, right?”

“Riley’s right—you are sexist,” Mac said.  “Just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean she automatically likes princess movies.  Besides, she’s probably too young to care.”

Mac had a point.  “What should I choose, then?”

Mac thought about it.  “How about Cars?”

“Good choice,” Jack agreed.  “I wouldn’t mind seeing that myself.”  He selected the movie and sat back, Kelly cradled in the crook of his arm.  The feel of a child in his arms and the sound of the movie in the background were soothing, and Jack soon fell asleep.

He wasn’t sure how much later it was when Kelly woke him with her crying.  He was instantly alert.  “Hey, there, sweetheart, it’s alright.”  He checked the time.  It was almost time for another bottle.  “I bet you’re hungry, right?”  He felt a damp spot on his pants.  “And you need a new diaper.”  Jack supposed he should be upset about getting pee on his pants, but he couldn’t be bothered to care.  It wasn’t like they hadn’t been covered in worse.  It sure beat blood.

Jack looked around for Mac, but the other man seemed to have vanished along with the pieces of paper holding his designs.  Jack figured Mac was in the garage working on his project.  Guess he’d have to take care of Kelly himself.  Awkwardly since he was still holding the baby, Jack managed to fill the bottle and set it in the microwave.  While it was heating, Jack took a stab at changing Kelly’s diaper.  He frowned at his efforts.  The diaper was crooked and sagged on both sides.  Jack was pretty sure it wouldn’t do squat to protect her.  He was relieved when Mac came back inside at that moment.

Mac laughed when he saw what Jack had done.  “You really suck at that.”

Jack sighed.  “Tell me about it.”  He looked hopeful.  “Think you can fix it?”

“Sure.”  Mac nudged Jack over and took his place.  The younger man unfastened the diaper Jack had attempted to put on and got a fresh one.  Deftly, he fastened it in place.  Jack was envious at how smooth and tight against Kelly’s body the new diaper was.  If Kelly was going to stay with them permanently, he’d have to learn.  And at this point, Jack was determined she would stay.

Jack expected Mac to hand Kelly back to him as soon as her diaper was changed, but he didn’t.  The blond cradled the child to his chest and looked down at her, a soft smile on his face.  “There, that’s better, isn’t it?  Uncle Jack’s really bad at this, isn’t he?”

Jack’s heart swelled at hearing Mac call him “Uncle Jack”.  He’d prefer “Daddy Jack,” but that would come in time, he was sure.

The microwaved beeped, and Jack removed the bottle.  He went to take Kelly from Mac, but the other man held out his hand.  “Here, I’ll do it.”

Jack was doubtful.  “Are you sure?”

Mac snapped his fingers, impatiently.  “Yes, I’m sure.  Just give it here.” 

Jack handed the bottle over and hovered anxiously nearby.  He needn’t have worried, though; Mac held Kelly steady as she sucked on the bottle.  Jack was impressed.  Seemed like Mac was a natural, too.  Jack watched his lover gaze at Kelly adoringly, and the older man felt all warm and fuzzy inside.  Jack could easily see this happening on a daily basis, and he looked forward to it.

Once Kelly had finished, Mac burped her.  Jack reached for her, but Mac ignored his outstretched arms and placed her in her carrier.  “She can stay in here until bedtime.  In the meantime, we can watch a movie.”

“Does it have to be age-appropriate?” Jack asked.  He wasn’t sure how many animated movies he could stand, though he supposed he’d have to get used to them—there were probably a lot of them in his foreseeable future.

Mac chuckled.  “Die Hard is probably still out, but maybe we can compromise.”  He scrolled through the choices.  “How about Three Men and a Baby?”

“Seems appropriate,” Jack agreed.  Mac selected the movie.  He sat back and threw his arm around Jack.  Jack snuggled in against Mac’s chest, sighing in contentment.  He always liked cuddling with Mac, and knowing their daughter ( _too soon, Jack,_ a little voice in his head said, but Jack ignored it) was sleeping nearby was even better.

After the movie, they gave Kelly a final feeding and changing, Jack handling the former, Mac the latter.  Already they moved seamlessly around each other, as though Kelly had always been a part of their lives.  It gave Jack hope.  This _would_ work out; he was sure of it.

Once that was taken care of, the men took turns holding Kelly while the other got ready for bed.  Mac settled into bed, holding Kelly, and Jack slid in across from him so they were facing.  The soldier kissed both of them, Kelly on her forehead, Mac on the lips.  “Night, darlin’s,” he whispered.

Mac mimicked Jack’s actions.  “Night, both of you.”

Jack threw an arm around Mac, cocooning Kelly between them.  Cuddled up together, they all drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midnight feedings are a bitch, but Mac gives Jack hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little bit of fluff to bridge chapters. :)

Babies don’t sleep through the night.  Somehow, Jack had missed that in his research.  He’d very carefully looked up the feeding schedule, but, for some reason, the fact that some of those occurred _in the middle of the night_ had slipped by him.  Jack was, therefore, caught unawares when Kelly’s wail woke him at 3 am.

The soldier was awake in an instant, hand reaching for the gun that was no longer on the bedside table (there was no way he’d leave out a gun with an infant around, so he’d secured it in a lockbox on a high shelf before bed).  He listened intently, trying to discern any threat.  He relaxed slightly when he realized there was no immediate danger; it was just Kelly crying.

Jack turned his attention to the crying child.  He lifted her into his arms and rocked her, gently.  “Shhh,” he soothed.  “You’ll wake up Daddy Mac.”

“I’m already awake,” came a sleepy voice from the other side of the bed.  There was a pause.  “Did you just call me Daddy Mac?”

“Um, yeah,” Jack said, embarrassed to be caught out.

Mac fastened steely blue eyes on his lover.  “We’re going to talk about this.  Right now, let’s stick to Uncle Mac, okay?”

“Okay,” Jack agreed, readily, relieved that Mac wasn’t making a huge fuss—yet.  And, he was getting familiar with Kelly, which Jack took as a good sign.  Slowly.  He’d take this slowly, but he’d win Mac over yet.

Mac dropped the subject.  He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.  “I think she’s hungry.  I’ll heat up the bottle while you get her settled.”

“Sounds good.”  Jack followed Mac out of the bedroom.  The older man settled on the couch, making sure Kelly was comfortably settled in his arms, while the younger busied himself heating the formula.  When it was ready, Mac handed the bottle to Jack and sat down beside him.

They stayed like that in companionable silence, the only sound the soft slurping of Kelly sucking on her bottle.  Mac was dozing off, and Jack felt his own eyelids growing heavy.  This was really nice.  All they needed was. . .”All we need is a rocking chair,” he said aloud.

“We’ll get one in the morning when we get a crib,” Mac mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes.

Jack was surprised.  “I thought you said. . .”

“I know what I said,” Mac said, cutting Jack off.  Now, the blond did open his eyes, fixing them on Jack.  “But I’ve been thinking.  You’re right.  We don’t know how long Kelly will be with us, and she might as well be comfortable.  Jack opened his mouth to say something, but Mac raised a hand and cut him off.  “I’m not making any promises, Jack.  We’re still going to talk about this.  Don’t go looking at new cars or making plans to paint the spare room yet.  As of right now, it’s still temporary.”

Jack was elated.  It wasn’t a commitment, but it was something.  And Mac was willing to talk about it.  Jack would take that as a victory.  _Soon,_ he thought.  _Soon, I’ll be celebrating an even bigger one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you say "awwwwwww"? And, Mac's warming up to the idea. Did you really think he wouldn't? ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac and Jack go shopping for Kelly.

Mac and Jack were able to get a few more hours of sleep before Kelly woke them again. Jack groaned and buried his head under his pillow. Mac sat up and hit his lover with his own pillow. “Up and at ‘em, sleepyhead. You’re on diaper duty.”

Jack reluctantly uncovered his head and sat up. “Why do I have to do it?” he whined. “We already determined I’m no good at it.”

“You have to learn sometime,” Mac said. “Don’t worry—I’ll help.”

Jack sighed. “Yeah, I guess I have to. After all, we’re in for another couple of years of this.” He didn’t even think about what he was saying.

“Only if we keep her,” Mac said. “Remember, this is. . .”

“Temporary, I know.” Jack sighed again. “It’s just. . .”

“You’re getting attached, I know.” Mac kissed the top of Jack’s head. “We’ll talk about it, I promise. I just don’t want you getting ahead of yourself. Let’s see how it goes first.”

“I guess that’ll have to do,” Jack said. He picked up the crying baby. “There, there, sweetheart. Daddy Jack and Daddy. . . _Uncle_ Mac will make it all better.”

It was Mac’s turn to sigh. “You really shouldn’t do that,” he said. “You’re just making it harder on yourself.”

“I know,” Jack said. “It’s just. . .let me have this, please,” he begged. He needed something, anything, to hold onto to keep his hopes alive.

“Fine,” Mac agreed, reluctantly. “Let’s get her taken care of.”

Mac heated up the bottle and gave it to Jack who once more settled on the couch with Kelly. She sucked on it, greedily. “You’re a hungry little thing, aren’t you?” Jack said. “Didn’t know someone so little could eat so much.”

Mac chuckled and sat down next to Jack. “She takes after you.”

Jack wondered if Mac even realized what he said. It seemed like he was starting to think of them as a family, too. Jack grasped onto that thread like it was a lifeline. He really needed Mac to agree to keeping Kelly.

Mac kissed Jack’s cheek before leaving the older man to his task. The blond grabbed paper and pencil to make a list of everything they’d need, pulling out his phone and pulling up a checklist.

“Crib, rocking chair, playpen. Guess we’d better get a changing table—we can’t keep changing her on the dining room table,” Mac muttered. He looked around. “Not sure where we’re going to put everything.”

“We could clean out the spare room,” Jack suggested, tentatively.

To his surprise, Mac gave in. “Fine. You’re right, okay? We’ll clean out the spare room. Rent a storage space or something. Maybe Riley and Bozer can work on that while we go shopping.”

Jack beamed. He was one step closer to his goal. _Just a little more time_ , he thought. Mac would come around; Jack knew it.

Mac turned back to his list. “What else?”

“More diapers and formula,” Jack said. “And we’ll probably need more clothes. I think Bozer only got a couple of onesies.”

“Not too many, though,” Mac said, thoughtfully. “She’ll outgrow them pretty quickly.” He seemed to catch himself. “Not that we’ll have her that long,” he corrected, hastily.

Jack mentally did a fist pump. _Almost there_. Jack knew Mac was getting just as attached as he was, even if he wouldn’t admit it. Instead of pointing it out, Jack continued with the list. “Bathing supplies, too. A tub for the sink and washcloths and shampoo. We can’t keep using wipes forever.”

“Good point,” Mac said, adding it to the ever-growing list. “A scale, too.” He looked over what he’d written. “I think we’ve got most of it. I’m sure we’ll find more things once we get there.”

Kelly had finished her bottle, so Jack held her to his shoulder and patted her back gently until she let out a satisfying burp. “Great. I’m done here. I’ll strap the car seat in while you get Kelly ready.”

Mac put his hand on Jack’s arm to stop him. “Not so fast. I believe you have a diaper to change.”

Jack sighed. “I was hoping you’d forgotten that.”

Mac grinned, wickedly. “Not a chance. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it.”

Jack was dubious, but he gave in, knowing it was a lost cause. Mac was right—he’d have to learn eventually. Jack laid Kelly down on the table and stripped off her old diaper, wrinkling his nose at the sight and smell. “Geez, you’re stinky.” He carefully wiped her down, then got out a new diaper, staring at it, bewildered. “This is where I went wrong last time.”

“It’s a piece of cake. Here, I’ll show you.” Mac guided Jack’s hand and helped him fasten the diaper. The older man held up the child when they were done. The diaper still sagged a bit, but it looked like it would stay up. “Good enough,” Mac declared. “You’ll get better with practice.”

“I can hardly wait,” Jack said, sarcastically.

“Hey, you’re the one that wanted to take her in,” Mac pointed out. “Dirty diapers are part of the deal.”

“I know,” Jack said. “I just wish they weren’t so. . .dirty.”

Mac laughed at him. “Come on, let’s get her dressed and ready.”

“Okay,” Jack said. “I’ll do it. It’s got to be easier than changing a diaper, right?”

Wrong. Jack had to try three times before he got Kelly dressed in a clean onesie. First he tried to put her arms through the leg holes, then he got one leg twisted, then he missed several snaps. Finally, he got her dressed to his satisfaction. “There you go, sweetheart. Don’t you look pretty.”

“Ga, ga, ga,” Kelly agreed.

Next, they got all Kelly’s gear together. When they were done, Jack surveyed the overstuffed diaper bag. “I take less stuff on week-long survival missions,” he said. “Does she really need all this stuff?”

“How should I know?” Mac asked. “This is new to me, too.”

“Sorry, I know,” Jack said. “Guess we’re going in blind.” He picked up Kelly’s carrier, and Mac hefted the bag onto his shoulder. “Okay, let’s go.”

They got to Mac’s car, and Jack opened the back door and lifted the carrier in. Then, he paused, uncertain of what to do next. “How do I strap her in? You did it last time.”

“What, can’t you figure it out?” Mac said.

“You’re the mechanical genius,” Jack snarked. “I’m just the hired muscle.”

Mac was incredulous. “You can strip an assault rifle and reassemble it in less than five minutes, and you can’t figure out how to strap in a baby?”

“I thought we went over that already,” Jack said.

“Here.” Mac gently nudged Jack aside and showed him how to fasten the carrier.

It took several minutes to strap Kelly into the car, then they had to reverse the process when they got to the store. Once again, Mac picked up the bag, and Jack picked up the baby. They headed into the store and stopped a few feet inside, overwhelmed. “Where do we start?” Jack asked.

Mac pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons. “They have an app with a store map.” He showed Jack his screen. “Here.”

Jack took the phone in one hand and the list in the other. He studied the list, then tapped a few keys, laying out a route. “Okay, if we do it this way, we can get in, get out, and get home.”

“This isn’t a tactical op, Jack,” Mac said.

“Sure it is,” Jack said. “You just have to know how to approach it. Now, let’s go.”

They didn’t get 50 feet before Jack deviated from his planned route, stopping at a display of jumpers. “We should get one of these.”

“Good idea,” Mac agreed. “Entertaining and educational.” He looked at the vast array. “Which one should we get?”

Jack pointed at a pink Minnie Mouse jumper. “How about that one?”

“What’s with you and all the pink?” Mac wanted to know.

“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to get little girls?”

“Sure, if you want to get stuck in the 50’s. Today girls can have any color they want.”

“Including pink,” Jack said.

Mac sighed. “Do you really want pink?”

“No,” Jack admitted. “But then how do we decide? There’s so many.”

“Maybe we can ask her?” Mac suggested.

“She’s 4 ½ months old! How should she know?”

Mac shrugged. “She can make out shapes and sounds. We’ll just see what she likes.”

They walked around the display, holding Kelly up in front of each one as the two men played with the various objects attached, spinning, swinging, and beeping them in a cacophony of color and sound. For the most part, Kelly seemed unimpressed, even yawning at a jungle one. Jack was wounded—he rather liked that one. Mac pointed out she was probably just tired, and it had nothing to do with the jumper, but Jack was only slightly mollified. Then, they came to a bright blue, sea-themed jumper. Kelly stared in fascination at the dangling fishes and the spinning crab in a bubble. She reached out her hand to touch one of the fish.

“You like that?” Jack asked.

“Ga, ga,” Kelly affirmed.

“Guess that’s the one,” Mac said. “Let’s get it.”

They moved on, selecting a crib, dresser, and playpen with minimal fussing. Then they reached the chairs. Mac swept an arm over the collection of gliders and recliners. “Which do you like?”

Jack frowned. “None of them.”

Mac was incredulous. “What do you mean, none of them? There must be 20 here. You must like one of them.” He pointed to a luxurious, overstuffed recliner. “How about that one? It looks comfortable.”

“No, Mac,” Jack said, firmly. “I don’t want any of those.”

“Then, what do you want?” Mac demanded.

“I want a simple, wooden rocking chair, like my mother had.” Jack remembered that chair, remembered sitting in it while his mother read to him as a child. He wanted one like that for Kelly. He could picture himself rocking her in his arms while he rocked back and forth, just like he imagined his mom had done to him.

The irritated look left Mac’s face. He pulled up Amazon and typed in “wooden rocking chair”. “How about one of these, then?”

Jack studied them. Those were much more like what he had in mind. He picked out the one that reminded him the most of his mother’s, a sturdy oak one with a rounded back and carved legs. “That one.”

Mac hit one-click check out. “Done. It’ll be here in two days.” With that, it was on to the next thing.

They butted heads over toys. “She has plenty,” Mac said.

“Ah, come on,” Jack said. “Just a few more.”

“No, Jack. Right now, it’s only temporary.” There was that word again. Jack was beginning to hate it. “Once we know she’s staying with us for good. . . _if_ she stays with us. . .” Mac corrected hastily, but Jack didn’t miss the slip, “then we can get more.”

“Okay, fine,” Jack agreed, reluctantly. He started to move on, but stopped when Kelly reached out her hands to a stuffed tiger.

“Ga, ga, ga.”

“No, sweetheart,” Mac said. “You already have the stuffed dog Uncle Bozer got you.”

Kelly kept reaching out, face scrunching up in the forerunner to tears. Determinedly ignoring her, Mac turned away.

“Ah, come on, what’s one little stuffed animal going to hurt?” Jack begged.

It was Mac’s turn to cave. “Fine. Just one.” Jack and Kelly both beamed. Kelly hugged the tiger tight to her chest and chewed on its ear when Jack handed it to her. Jack was pleased to note Mac couldn't hide his own smile.

Once they had everything else they needed, the two men headed to the clothing section. Once again, they were overwhelmed by all the choices. “I'm totally at a loss here,” Jack admitted.

“Me, too,” Mac said. “I don't even know where to start.”

“Call Riley,” Jack suggested.

“What's she going to know?” Mac demanded.

“She's a girl. She must know about clothes.”

“I doubt she's going to appreciate you saying that.” Nonetheless, Mac took out his phone and dialed the hacker.

“What's up, Mac?” Riley said when she answered.

“We need your help, Ri.”

“What do you need? Did something come up? Is something wrong?” Concern was written all over her face.

“No, no, nothing like that,”, Mac assured her. “We just need a little help shopping for Kelly.”

“How am I supposed to help?” Riley demanded. “I don't know anything about babies, remember?”

Jack stood next to Mac. “Yeah, but you know about clothes, right?”

“Not baby clothes!”

“C'mon,” Jack whined. “You must be able to help some.”

Bozer's head appeared next to Riley. “What do you need?”

“Help shopping for clothes for Kelly,” Mac replied.

“Yeah, I don't think you can help us,” Jack said.

“Are you kidding?” Bozer said. “Who picked out the outfit she's wearing, huh?”

The green and white striped onesie did suit Kelly, but Jack was still dubious. “You got lucky. You probably just grabbed the first thing that came to hand.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Bozer said. “It just so happens I'm a master of fashion. Disguise whiz, remember?”

Jack conceded the point. “Okay, what would you get her?”

Mac turned the phone towards the racks of clothes, letting Bozer get a good look. “Well,” the film maker said, “With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she'll look great in pink.”

“No pink,” Mac said, firmly. Bozer and Jack both pouted. “I said, no,” the blond repeated.

Bozer sighed. “Fine. No pink. Yellows are good, and light greens. Light blue will bring out her eyes. Any pastel is good, really.”

“Okay, but there's still a lot of choices,” Jack said. “Onesies? Pants and shirts? Dresses?”

“If you get her a pink dress, I'm divorcing you,” Mac said.

“We're not married,” Jack pointed out.

“Don't care. No pink dresses. Stick to onesies. They're easy.”

After his recent experience, Jack disagreed. “We should get her at least one dress for special occasions.”

“Fine,” Mac conceded. “As long as it's not pink.”

“How about this?” Jack held up a frilly, pale yellow dress edged in lace.

Mac frowned. “Don't you think that's a bit much?”

“Maybe you're right.” Reluctantly, Jack returned the dress to the rack. He pulled out a simple, light blue dress with white flowers along the collar and hem. “How about this?”

“Much better,” Mac said.

Jack added it to their cart and set about picking out onesies. The two men selected a half dozen, then moved on to shoes.

“Most of the onesies have feet,” Mac said, “but she should have a pair of shoes.”

Jack picked out a plain, white pair. “These'll go with everything,” he said.

“You need a pair to go with the dress,” Riley said.

“These won't work?” Jack asked.

“No, she needs black patent leather, with a bow,” Riley said. The three men gaped at her. “What? Every little girl needs black patent shoes.”

“I thought you didn't know anything about babies,” Mac said.

“I don't, but I was a little girl. Trust me on this one.”

Jack found a pair of shoes matching Riley's description. “How about these?”

“Perfect,” Riley said.

“Great,” Mac said. “Anything else?”

Jack was staring at a display of head pieces, enthralled. “We should get her some of these.”

“Aren't those a little girlie?” Mac asked.

“But, they'll look adorable on her!” Riley said.

Mac glared at her. “I thought you were on my side.”

Riley shrugged. “It's true.”

Mac gave in. “Okay, but just one.”

“Two,” Jack bargained. “A flower and a bow.”

“Fine.”

Triumphant, Jack, with Riley's assistance, picked out a white daisy headpiece that matched the dress they'd chosen and a simple black bow. Jack held them up for Mac's approval which the younger man granted. Smiling, Jack threw them on the stack.

“Now, are we done?” Mac asked.

“Now, we're done,” Jack confirmed.

“Great.” Mac grabbed the loaded basket and pushed it towards checkout. “Let's go home.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang sets up Kelly's room.

When Mac and Jack got home, Riley and Bozer came out to help them unload.  They stopped dead at the sight of the jam-packed jeep.

 

“What'd you do, buy out the whole store?” Riley asked.

 

“Nah, just the essentials.”  Jack opened the tailgate and hipchecked the box that started to slide out.

 

Riley was incredulous.  “Just the essentials?  I have less stuff in my entire apartment.”

 

“Ha, ha, very funny,” Jack said.  “Just help us unload, will you?”  He stepped back, forgetting he was the only thing keeping the box from sliding out.  The box tipped onto the ground, bags and loose bits falling into the space it left.  “Shit,” Jack cursed.

 

“Watch your language,” Mac said, coming around the car, Kelly's carrier looped over his arm.  “There's innocent ears around.”

 

“Sorry,” Jack apologized.  “I'm just not sure how we're going to get anything out without causing an avalanche.”

 

“You packed it,” Mac pointed out.  “Surely, you can figure out how to unpack it.”

 

“Right.  Here goes nothing.  Bozer, give me a hand.”  Jack grabbed the end of the box on the ground and tugged it the rest of the way out.  Bozer grabbed the other end.  More bags tumbled out.  A bag of clothes spilled onto the ground, the contents falling into the dirt.

 

“Damn.  I mean, drat,” Jack hastily corrected himself.  “We're going to have to wash those.”

 

“I'll do it.”  Riley scooped the clothes back into the bag and turned towards the house.

 

“I wouldn't have pegged you for the laundry type, Ri,” Mac said as he fell into step with her.

 

“I'm not, but if it gets me out of hauling boxes, I'm in.”

 

“Weakling!” Jack called after her.

 

“You know it!” she called back, disappearing into the house.

 

Together, Jack, Mac, and Bozer wrestled the furniture into the house, dumping it into the spare room which Riley and Bozer had cleared out (though the garage was now overflowing with random junk as a result).  Riley lounged on the sofa, offering “helpful” advice.

 

After her last bit of “help”, Jack glared at her.  “At least help us get the bags,” he said.

“Bags I can do,” she said, cheerfully.  She wasn’t much help, though.  She carried in the first bag and set it on the coffee table, pawing through it and “awwwing” at each piece.  She was particularly entranced by the dress, matching headpiece, and patent leather shoes.  “This is so cute!” she gushed.  “I can’t wait to see Kelly in it!  Let’s put it on her now.”

 

Jack really wished she’d gotten the bag of diapers instead of the bag of clothes.  “No, Ri, we have to get everything put away first.”

 

“Fine,” Riley pouted.  “But, I’m going to see her in it as soon as we’re finished.”

 

“Deal,” Jack said.

 

Finally, everything had been carried in.  Jack looked at the pile of furniture and rubbed his hands together.  “Okay, let’s get it all set-up.”

 

Bozer backed away, hands in the air.  “Not me.  You know I’m hopeless with things like that.”

 

“Me, too,” Riley said.

 

Jack sighed.  “Fine.  Mac and I will do it.  You two put away the rest of the stuff.”

 

“Sounds good.”  They left the two men to it.

 

Jack opened the box with the crib and carefully slid the pieces onto the floor.  The soldier picked up the instructions while Mac began sorting the pieces into piles.

 

Jack looked at him, bemused.  “What are you doing?”

 

“Sorting the pieces into piles for easy reference,” Mac replied.

 

“Anybody ever tell you you’re anal?”

 

Mac grinned at that.  “Yeah, you, all the time.  What do we do first?”

 

Jack frowned at the instructions, turned them upside down, frowned some more, and turned them right side up again.  “I’m not sure.  I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

 

“Give me that.”  Mac snatched the sheet of paper from Jack.  He studied it a minute.  “Okay, first, Part A gets screwed to Part B.”

 

“Part A and Part B?  Speak English, Mac.  I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jack said.

 

Mac handed him the parts and a handful of screws.  “Here.  Aren’t you glad I sorted the pieces?”

 

“Yeah, whatever.”  Jack attempted to screw the pieces together without success.  “Damn screws.  Can’t get them in.”

 

Mac held out his hand.  “Here, let me try.”

 

“Nah, I got it.”  Jack grabbed a hammer and pounded the first screw.  He missed and hit his thumb instead.  “Owwwww!” he yowled.  “Damn, that hurt!”

 

“Want me to kiss it and make it better?” Mac snarked.

 

“Nah, I got this.”  Jack aimed a death glare at the screw, daring it not to go in.  He pounded it again.  It went in, but split the wood.

 

“Give me that,” Mac said, exasperated.  “Clearly, you can’t be trusted with tools.  You just hold the pieces together while I connect them.”

 

Jack sucked his sore thumb.  “Be that way.  Just because I split a little ol’ piece of wood,” he grumbled.

 

Mac ignored him.

 

With Mac doing most of the assembly, putting together the crib and changing table went pretty fast.  When they were done, the two men surveyed the room.

 

“It’s starting to look right homey,” Jack said.  “All it needs is a coat of paint.”

 

“Let’s wait until we know we’re keeping her,” Mac said.  Jack noticed it wasn’t qualified this time, and hope burned a little brighter in his chest.  “Let’s go see what kind of chaos Riley and Bozer caused while we were otherwise occupied.”

 

They found the other two sprawled on the couch.  They’d put up the playpen, and Kelly was lying in it on her back, stuffed dog and stuff tiger in her tiny hands, chewing on an ear of each.  Not surprisingly, she was wearing the blue dress, daisy headpiece, and patent leather shoes.  Jack had to admit she looked adorable.  “Hi, there, sweetheart,” Jack cooed, sweeping the infant into his arms.  “Don’t you look pretty.  Did you miss me?”

 

Kelly reached out and grabbed his nose.  Jack laughed.  “Let’s go see your new room.  How does that sound?”

 

“I want to see,” Riley said, swinging her legs off the couch.

 

“Me, too,” Bozer said.

 

Mac gestured towards the room.  “Right this way.”

 

They all traipsed towards the bedroom.  “Pretty cool,” Riley said, approvingly.

 

“Yeah,” Bozer agreed.  “It needs a coat of paint, though.”

 

“That’s what I said!” Jack said.

 

“And I said let’s wait,” Mac said, the firmness of his tone unmistakable.  The other two men knew not to argue—yet.  The time would come, they were both sure.

 

Jack put Kelly on the new changing table.  “Hey, this works pretty good.  Much better than the dining room table.”

 

Bozer made a face.  “You were changing her on the table?  Gross!”

 

“We’ll clean it,” Mac promised.  He walked over to Jack.  “Need a hand?”

 

“Nope, I think I got it.”  He finished fastening the new diaper and surveyed his work.

 

“Not bad,” Mac praised.

 

“Yeah, I think I’m getting it.”

 

Mac started to reply when his phone rang.  “It’s Matty,” he said as he answered it.  “You’re on speaker,” he told her.

 

“Good.  I’m glad you’re all together,” she said.  “I’ve got a mission for you.”

 

“Ah, man,” Jack said.  “Right now?”

 

“No, in the morning,” Matty said.  “I want you here at 8:00 a.m. sharp.”

 

“We’ll be there,” Mac assured her.

 

“All of us?” Jack asked.

 

“Yes, all of you,” Matty confirmed.

 

“What are we going to do with Kelly?” Jack wanted to know.

 

“You’ll have to bring her with you,” Matty said, irritation evident in her voice.  “I’ll find someone to look after her.”

 

“Okay,” Mac said.  “We’ll see you in the morning.”

 

“Well, might as well get some sleep, then,” Riley said.  “See you in the morning.”

 

“See you,” Mac said.

 

“I’m going to turn in, too,” Bozer said.  “Let me know if you need anything.”

 

“We will,” Mac said.  He turned to Jack.  “We might as well feed Kelly and get her settled, then get some sleep ourselves.”

 

“Yeah,” Jack agreed.  His heart already ached at the thought of leaving Kelly for who knew how long.

 

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac and Jack have a mission, so Matty watches Kelly.

Kelly slept, well, like a baby in her new crib.  Jack didn’t.  Not only was he fussing over how Kelly would do not sleeping with them, he was worried about being apart from her the next day.  After several hours of Jack’s tossing and turning, Mac said, “Just go check on her already.  You know you won’t rest until you do.”

“Nah, that’s okay,” Jack said.  “I don’t want to be that overprotective father who can’t let his child out of his sight.”

“You already are,” Mac pointed out.  “Just do it.”

Jack didn’t need further urging.  He got out of bed and made his way to the spare room, quietly approaching the crib so as not to disturb Kelly.  She was sleeping peacefully under her turquoise coverlet--ocean-themed to match her jumper--dog and tiger tucked in next to her.  Jack just watched her sleep until she started moving about, making small whimpering noises.

Jack lifted her up and held her to his shoulder.  “Shh, darlin’, it’s alright.  Daddy Jack’s got you.”  She immediately stopped fussing and settled in against Jack, sighing softly.

Unwilling to put her down yet, Jack went into the living room and settled on the couch.  He must have drifted off, because the next thing he knew, Kelly was wailing loudly, and Mac was standing over him, shaking him gently.

Jack surfaced slowly.  “Huh?  What?”

“She’s hungry,” Mac said.  “I’ll take care of her.  You go get some sleep.”

Jack clutched the baby protectively to his chest.  “Nah, I’ll do it.”

Mac sighed.  “Jack, I know you’re worried and don’t want to let her go, but you need sleep.  We’ll be fine, I promise.”

Jack started to protest but couldn’t hold back a yawn.  “Okay, fine.  Just, take good care of her, okay?”

“I will,” Mac promised.  He took Kelly from Jack, cradling her close.  The infant stirred but didn’t wake.  Satisfied she was in good hands, Jack went back to bed.  He didn’t expect to be able to sleep, but he fell asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.

He woke once more to Mac shaking him.  He was vaguely aware of the alarm blaring in the background.  “Rise and shine, sleepyhead.”

Jack blinked blearily at the clock.  “We don’t have to be there until 8.  We’ve got at least another half hour.”

“Yeah, but we have to get Kelly ready,” Mac pointed out.  “That’s going to take at least half an hour.”

Mac had a point.  “This baby thing is harder than I thought,” Jack grumbled.

“Having second thoughts?” Mac asked.

“God, no!” Jack didn’t regret it in the least.  He was still more than willing—determined in fact—to have Kelly for the next 18 years and more.  “It’s just a lot of work.”

“That it is,” Mac agreed.  He whacked Jack with a pillow.  “So, let’s get to it.”

The two men entered the war room on the dot of 8.  Riley and Bozer were already there.

“Good, you’re here,” Matty said.  Her eyes fell to the carrier on Jack’s arm.  “And you brought the baby.”  Her voice dripped disapproval.

“Her name’s Kelly, and you said you’d watch her,” Jack reminded her.  “If you don’t want her here, send someone else.”

“No can do,” Matty said.  “This requires my best team.  Beside, I think you’ll like this one.  It has to do with our favorite domestic terrorist, James Burns.”

“The scumbag who dumped Kelly?” Jack said.  “Please tell me we finally get to nail that son of a . . .” He caught Mac’s eye.  “Bastard,” the soldier amended hastily.  He really was going to have to watch his language if he was going to have a child around.

“Sadly, no,” Matty said.  “But we do have a line on the so-called “charitable” organization that may be funding the group’s activities.”

“In town? Jack asked, hopefully.

“No, Sacramento,” Matty replied.  “They’ve got an active lobbyist at the state assembly.  I’ll need you to get as much information as possible on that, too.”

“What’s the plan?” Mac asked.

“You and Jack are going to talk to the ED.” She leveled a pointed look at Jack.  “No violence.”

“Ah, that’s no fun,” Jack whined.

“You’re just going to have to control yourself,” Matty said.  “Riley, you and Bozer are going to hack their records.  Find out all you can about their financials.  I want to know who they’re giving money to, especially if they’ve got any assemblymen in their pocket.”

“You got it,” Riley said.

“So, get to it,” Matty said, making shooing motions.

Jack took the time to say goodbye to Kelly.  He tickled her belly, and she giggled.  “You be good for Auntie Matty, you hear?”  He really didn’t want to leave her, but he had to trust Matty would take good care of her.  At least they’d be home that night, maybe even by dinnertime if they were lucky.

“She’ll be fine,” Matty assured him.  “Now, go.”

Jack went with a final glance back at Kelly.  She was starting to fuss, and he almost turned back, but a glare from Matty stopped him.  That, and the fact that she had moved towards the carrier, apparently to comfort the infant.  That was interesting.  Jack filed that for future reference.

The mission took much longer than anticipated due to the fact Mac and Jack couldn’t get an appointment with the director until the afternoon.  Jack wanted to just storm the office, but Mac convinced him they needed to go through proper channels.  The younger man wouldn’t even let his partner threaten the guy a little bit, which just made Jack grumpy.  It wasn’t a total bust, though.  They did manage to obtain the names of several “clients” under the guise of asking for references, though Jack had his doubts that they were any of the shadier groups, even though Mac had represented the two of them as possibly less than aboveboard.  It also gave Riley and Bozer enough time to hack the system and download a treasure trove of information.  At least they got something out of it.

The result was they got back to Phoenix way past regular business hours, not that Phoenix ever really shut down—after all, terrorists certainly didn’t keep a 9-5 schedule.  Still, the hallways were dark as Jack made his way to the war room, having sent Mac ahead to the car.

The soldier was not prepared for the sight that greeted him.  Matty was sitting on one of the sofas, Kelly on her lap, the dog and tiger on the table in front of her.  The director was moving the animals about, making growling, barking, and roaring noises.  Jack really wanted to snap a picture, but he figured that would likely get him fired.  Instead, he hollered “Mac, you go on down.  I’ll get Kelly,” to his absent partner before entering the room.

Matty shoved the animals away but, to Jack’s surprise, kept Kelly on her lap.  “It’s about time you got back,” she grumbled.

“Sorry, Mac made me wait for an appointment.”  He held out his arms to Kelly.  “Come to Daddy Jack.”

Matty seemed reluctant to let go of the infant.  “Have you filed your report?”

“I’ll do it in the morning.  Figured I’d come take Kelly off your hands.”  Jack tried to make it sound casual, as if he hadn’t been counting the minutes until he got back to her.  He wasn’t sure he succeeded.  “How come you have her, anyway?  I figured you’d fob her off on some poor, unsuspecting employee.”

Matty was an expert at hiding her emotions, so she didn’t give anything away.  “Everyone went home.  Figured it wasn’t fair to ask them to work overtime to take care of your kid.”

Yeah, right.  Jack knew Matty wouldn’t hesitate to do just that.  Jack had a sneaky suspicion she liked Kelly more than she let on.  “Uh-huh,” Jack said.  “Well, I’m here now, so I can take her.”

Matty finally handed the infant over.  Jack cuddled her to his chest.  “Did you miss me, darlin’?”  Kelly gurgled and held out her hands to Jack.  He let her grasp one of his fingers in her tiny hand.  “Say goodnight to Auntie Matty, and let’s go home.”  Jack waved one of Kelly’s hands at the director.

Matty raised an eyebrow at being called “Auntie Matty”, but she didn’t say anything.  “Goodnight, Kelly,” she said instead.  She directed her next words at Jack.  “I expect you here bright and early.”

“Sure thing,” he said.  He decided to test the waters.  “Do you know anyone who could look after Kelly?”

“I suppose you can bring her in.  I guess I can look after her.”  Matty tried to sound exasperated, but she couldn’t quite hide a note of something—fondness, maybe?  “I can’t be expected to entertain her all day, though.  Maybe you should get one of those jumper things for the war room.”

Jack tried to hide his grin as he gathered up Kelly’s stuff.  Looked like Matty was just as smitten as the rest of them.  Go figure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ED=executive director.
> 
> I do want Jack to catch up to Kelly's father, but I want that to be it's own story so I can do it justice.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The budding family continues to bond. Mac and Jack get help from an unexpected source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluffy adorableness, in spades.

Their usual post-mission routine was to go home and crash on the couch with a couple of beers, maybe with Riley and Bozer, maybe not. That changed with a baby. Riley begged off, and Bozer headed to his room as soon as they got home. That left Mac, Jack, and Kelly.

 

“I guess beers and an action movie is out, huh?” Jack said, setting Kelly’s carrier on the table.

 

“Probably,” Mac said. “We should get Kelly ready for bed. I don’t know if Matty fed and changed her, so we should do that just in case. Then, I’m about ready for bed myself. We’ll probably have to get up in the middle of the night anyway.”

 

Jack thought about mentioning what he’d seen but decided against it. He’d keep Matty’s secret, for now. “Good point.” He lifted Kelly up and felt her diaper. “Yep, you need changing. Mac, you warm her bottle, and I’ll change her.”

 

Mac was surprised and amused. “Jack Dalton’s actually volunteering to change a diaper? Who are you, and what have you done with my partner?”

 

“Ha, ha,” Jack said. “You’re right—I have to get used to it. Besides, it’s just wet, not stinky.”

 

Mac laughed. “With all the things I’ve seen you put your hands in, I can’t believe you’re put off by a little poop. You’ve been up to your elbows in blood and guts, you can handle a dirty diaper.”

 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be grateful I don’t have to.” Jack carried Kelly into her (Mac would probably still make him say “the spare”, but Jack would work on that) bedroom and laid her on the changing table. He removed the old diaper and carefully put on the new one. He was pleased to see it only sagged a little. He was definitely getting the hang of it. He also managed to get her in a clean onesie on the first try. Jack was definitely feeling proud of himself.

 

Mac came in with the bottle. Jack looked around for someplace to sit down. “This is where the rocking chair would come in handy,” he said.

 

“It’ll be here tomorrow. Take her back out to the couch,” Mac said.

 

Jack took Kelly back out to the living room and settled on the couch, Mac next to him. Jack gave Kelly the bottle, and she sucked on it greedily. The two men sat there, enthralled, watching the baby suck.

 

“She really is beautiful,” Mac said in admiration.

 

“Yeah, she is,” Jack agreed. “You know, I never really thought about having kids, but I can see the appeal. I could definitely get used to this.”

 

Jack expected Mac to say something like “well, don’t,” but he didn’t. What he said instead was, “Yeah, the white picket fence and the 2.5 kids wasn’t in the picture. Kinda hard with our jobs. Now, though. . .”

 

Jack thought about pushing, getting Mac to commit to keeping Kelly long-term, but he didn’t want to spook Mac. Mac was so tentative, so vulnerable, Jack didn’t want to take advantage. So, he stayed silent, just reveling in the feeling of having his lover and child (Jack swore he heard Mac’s voice say “she’s not your child yet; don’t get ahead of yourself” in his head, but he ignored it) surrounding him. Once Kelly was finished, Jack held her out to Mac. “Want to burp her?”

 

“Yeah, I do,” Mac replied, voice soft and a little awed. He took her almost reverently, laying the burp cloth over his shoulder and holding Kelly to it to it. It wasn’t the first time Mac had burped her, but it was the first time they’d been in this little, family-shaped bubble. Jack could tell it was affecting them both.

 

Mac patted Kelly’s back until she burped. “There you go, sweetheart,” he murmured. “That’s better, isn’t it?” He switched her so she was cradled in his arms and just held her a minute. “Guess we better put you to bed,” he said, breaking the silence. “You had a big day. I bet you’re exhausted, aren’t you?” Kelly’s response was a huge yawn, proving Mac’s point. “Come on, little one, time to sleep.” Mac carried Kelly into her (the spare, Mac whispered in Jack’s head again, but again, Jack ignored him) room. He kissed her on the forehead and handed her to Jack. “Say goodnight to Daddy Jack, sweetheart.”

 

Jack’s heart swelled at Mac’s tenderness and his use of “Daddy Jack” without protest. He could see them coming closer and closer to being a family for real. Jack kissed Kelly’s head in turn and gently laid her in the crib. “Goodnight, darlin’. Sleep well and don’t wake us too early, okay?” With a last, lingering look, Jack followed Mac out of the room, switching off the light.

 

The two men fell into bed and were asleep almost immediately. Sometime in the night, a wail penetrated Jack’s consciousness, but it stopped before he was fully awake. He had almost fallen asleep again when his eyes popped open. “Was that Kelly? Why did she stop?”

 

“Yeah,” Mac murmured sleepily from beside him. “I think Bozer got her.”

 

“Bozer? _Bozer’s_ taking care of Kelly?” Jack  said, incredulous. He bolted upright.

 

“Yeah.” Mac rolled over to see Jack swinging his legs out of bed. “I’m sure he’ll take good care of her. Don’t you trust him?”

 

“Hell, no,” Jack said, adamantly. “Bozer’s never taken care of a baby in his life. I’d better check on him.”

 

Jack moved towards the living room but stopped dead in the doorway. Bozer was moving around the room, Kelly in his arms sucking on her bottle. She seemed perfectly content and so did Bozer. Jack could hear him murmuring to the infant.

 

“Doesn’t that taste good?” Bozer crooned. “I read you get to start solid food soon. I don’t know about that. I bet it doesn’t taste nearly as good. I’ve seen some of that stuff. It’s disgusting. I don’t know how you can eat it. I bet I could make you something better. How does that sound? Do you want Uncle Bozer to make you something yummy?”

 

His only response was a slurping noise as Kelly continued to drink. Relief swept over Jack. Kelly was, indeed, in good hands. Without disturbing the pair, Jack went back to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a lot more about Bozer and Kelly and less about Mac, Jack, and Kelly, but who am I to complain? ;)
> 
> In my head canon, Bozer continues to live with Mac and Jack. But, I realized I didn't have anything about his response to Kelly living with them, so this chapter was born.
> 
> We've now seen everyone except Riley with Kelly. I think that's going to be a separate story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelly starts teething.

Over the next two weeks, they settled into a routine.  Kelly would go to work with Mac and Jack, and one or the other of them would keep an eye on her.  The team was mostly in the office sorting through the information they’d gotten from the charity, so it wasn’t a problem for the two men to keep Kelly nearby or to have Riley or Bozer look after her..  On the couple of occasions they’d been sent on a mission, Matty would watch Kelly.  None of the missions even lasted overnight, so it wasn’t a problem.

Since they were in the office for the most part, the little family (as Jack referred to them in his head—he knew Mac would have a fit if he found out) was home by 6.  Either Bozer would cook dinner, or they’d order out, and either Mac or Jack would feed Kelly some of the baby food that Bozer, true to his word, had made.  Then they’d play with Kelly a bit and read to her or watch a family-friendly movie (Jack lamented the lack of Bruce Willis, but he had to admit, as long as they stayed away from princesses, some of them were pretty good).  About 9, Kelly would get a last bottle and changing.  Jack would usually be the one to give it to her, rocking in the chair in her (he was no longer calling it the “spare” bedroom in his head, damn what Mac would say) room and telling her stories of his (to hear him tell it) adventurous childhood.  Then, Mac and Jack would give her a goodnight kiss and retire to the living room for beers and a non-family-friendly movie (Bruce Willis, at last!).  They’d switch off the late night feedings; Bozer even took one or two when the other two were absolutely exhausted.

Then, one night, Kelly started crying—not her usual cries of hunger or a soggy diaper, but deep, gut-wrenching wails like an animal—or a baby—in pain.  All three men converged on her in a panic.  Jack reached her first, reaching into the cradle and lifting her out, cuddling her to his shoulder.  “There, there, darlin’, it’s alright.  Daddy Jack has you.”  Usually, being in Jack’s arms would calm Kelly immediately, but, this time, the wails didn’t cease.

“What’s wrong with her?” Bozer asked, anxiously.

“I’m not sure,” Jack replied.  He felt her diaper.  “She’s dry and doesn’t stink, and it’s not time for her bottle.”

“Give her one anyway,” Mac suggested.  “You know how much she can eat.  Takes after a certain ex-Delta Force I know,” he teased.

Jack ignored the jibe.  “I hope that’s all it is,” he said.

Bozer raced off to heat the bottle while Jack settled in the rocking chair, murmuring soothing words to the crying infant.  Kelly kept wailing until Bozer came back with the bottle.

Jack offered it to her.  “Here you are, sweetheart.  Bet this will make you feel better.”

Kelly batted it away and continued crying.

Jack frowned.  “That didn’t work.  Now what?”

“How should I know?” Mac snapped.  He drew a deep breath and calmed himself.  “Sorry.  It’s just that I’m worried, too.”

“I know,” Jack said.  “I just don’t know what to do.”

“Does she have a fever?” Bozer asked.

Jack felt her forehead.  “She’s warm.  Oh, my god, she’s sick.  What do we do?”  He was starting to panic.  “Maybe she has colic.  Isn’t that when babies don’t stop crying?  Is it serious?”

Mac took control of the situation.  “Okay, calm down.  Let me see if there’s anything online.”  He left, and they could hear clicking from the other room as he frantically typed a search into his laptop.  “Okay, I’ve got something,” he said after a minute.

“What is it?  Is it serious?” Jack asked.

“No,” Mac said, “but I have to check something.”  He took Kelly from Jack, who surrendered her reluctantly.  He took advantage of the next wail to poke his finger into her mouth.  “Yep, just what I thought.  She’s teething.”

Jack relaxed, but only slightly.  “What can we do?”

“She needs a teething ring,” Mac said.

“Where are we supposed to find a teething ring at 1 in the morning?” Jack demanded.

“Easy,” Mac replied.  “I can make one.”

“You can do that?” Jack asked.

“Of course he can,” Bozer said, confidently.  “Mac can make anything.”

“You’re right.  I shouldn’t doubt him,” Jack said.

“Yeah, I can make one.  I looked it up.  It just takes a wooden ring, some oil, and a piece of cloth.  I even have coconut oil, which is what they recommend, though olive oil works, too,” Mac said. 

“Great,” Jack said, relieved.

Mac handed Kelly to Jack.  “Here, you rock her while I make it.  Bozer, you might as well go back to bed.  Sorry for scaring you.”

“Hey, no problem.  I’d do anything for the little princess.  You know that,” Bozer said as he left to go back to his room.

Jack held Kelly to his chest and rocked her, hoping to calm her down.  “Hurry, Mac.  She must really be in pain.”

“I’ll be right back,” Mac assured him.

Sure enough, Mac was back in less than five minute.  By then, Kelly’s wails had diminished to hiccups.  Jack handed the ring to Kelly, and she stuck it in her mouth, gnawing on it with her gums (and, apparently, at least one emerging tooth).  “There, that’s better, isn’t it?” he crooned.  “Now, go back to sleep for your daddies.”  Jack realized too late what he said, but Mac didn’t protest.

Instead, Mac held out his arms for Kelly.  “Here, I’ll take her.  You go back to bed.”

“Are you sure?  I can stay up a bit.”

“I’m sure,” Mac said.  “You can take the next shift.”

“Okay.”  Jack handed over the child, and they switched places, Mac sitting in the chair, and Jack heading back to bed.  The older man paused in the doorway to cast one last look at Kelly, just to make sure she was really okay.

“It’s alright, little one,” he heard Mac say.  “Daddy Mac’s got you.  See what he made you?  That’s going to help a lot.  Suck on that for a little bit, then maybe you can go back to sleep.  Can you do that for your daddy?”  There’s a good girl.”

Jack was shocked but pleased to hear Mac refer to himself like that.  Clearly, the younger man was getting just as attached to Kelly as Jack was.  Jack smiled to himself as he made his way to their room.  It was time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn't really in my original outline, but it snuck in. Enjoy!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wants to adopt Kelly. Mac isn't so sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Angst ahead

Jack broached the subject the next morning as they were getting ready.  Mac was toasting bagels, and Jack was feeding Kelly Bozer’s Vegetable of the Day (spinach today).  “I think we should keep Kelly,” the soldier blurted out.  He winced at his wording.  He could—should—have been more diplomatic.

Mac’s back was to Jack, but the older man saw his lover’s shoulders tense.  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Mac said.

“Why not?” Jack said—more like whined.  He berated himself for the way he sounded; this was not the way to convince Mac to keep Kelly.  “You said we’d talk about it.  How long are we going to wait?”

“Not now,” Mac snapped.

“Yes, now,” Jack insisted.  “Otherwise, you’ll just put me off again.”

Mac’s shoulders slumped in defeat.  “Okay, fine, you want to talk about it now, we’ll talk about it now.  I think it’s a bad idea.”

“What?!?”  Jack was floored.  He was sure Mac would agree.  “Why not?  I thought you liked Kelly—I thought you _loved_ her.  ”

Mac refused to face Jack.  “I do, but this isn’t the right place for her.”

“Why not?” Jack asked again.  “You called yourself ‘Daddy Mac’, now you’re trying to tell me you don’t want to keep her?”

“I do want to keep her,” Mac said softly, so softly Jack could hardly hear him.  “I want to keep her probably as badly as you do, but we _can’t_ **.”**

 **“ _Why not?_** ” Jack asked for the third time.  His voice was low and dangerous.  He wanted to hit something, the wall, his lover, something.  Jack would never hit Mac, but in that moment, he wanted to.  Mac couldn’t possibly mean what he was saying.

Mac finally turned to face his lover.  Tears filled his eyes, and he looked miserable, but he stuck to his guns.  “We’re not good candidates, Jack.  We work long hours, we’re away for weeks at a time, we’re in high risk jobs.  We’re not even married.”

Jack latched on to the last part.  “We can fix that,” he said, desperate to grab onto anything that might change Mac’s mind.

“This is not the time to talk about marriage,” Mac snapped.  “Besides, it doesn’t change the rest of it.  No adoption agency would look twice at us.”

“Matty can fix that,” Jack said.  “Matty can fix anything.  She knows everyone, has favors out all over the place.  She can pull some strings and get someone to let us adopt her.”

“That doesn’t make it a good idea!” Mac shouted.  “What are we going to do when we’re not there for her?  We haven’t even been away from her overnight.  What happens when we go out of the country and can’t come home at night?  What happens when we get a mission that keeps us out of contact for days on end?  What happens then?”

“So, let’s wait and see,” Jack said.  “Let’s wait until we have to go out of the country and see what happens.  Then we can make a decision.  We don’t have to make it now.”  Please, please let Mac change his mind, Jack pleaded with the universe.

“No,” Mac said.  “If we wait, I won’t be able to give her up.”

Jack took advantage of Mac’s admission.  “Then don’t.  Come on, Mac, you know you want her.”

Mac would not be swayed.  “I told you, it doesn’t matter.  Jack, we could be wounded at any time.  We could be _killed_.  What happens then?”

“Then the other one takes care of her,” Jack said.

“What happens if we both get killed?” Mac asked. “You know there’s a very real possibility that could happen.”   Jack was silent.  Mac pressed on.  “We _have_ to do this.  It’s for her own good.”

Jack knew in that moment Mac wouldn’t be swayed.  The soldier’s hopes were dashed into tiny pieces.  The family he’d dreamed of crumbled and faded away into nothing more than an unobtainable dream.  Instead of accepting it, Jack lashed out.  “What about our own good?  What about what we want?  Doesn’t that matter at all to you?”

“No,” Mac said, coldly.  “It’s not about us, it’s about Kelly.  That’s the way it should be.  If you love her, you’ll do this for her.”

That was a low blow.  Jack felt like Mac had plunged a knife into his heart and twisted it.  He wanted to scream, to cry, to do _something_ , but he was numb.  He couldn’t believe Mac could be so callous, could throw it all away so easily.  Jack would fight to the death for Kelly, and Mac was going to just walk away.  Nothing Jack could say or do was going to change that.  “Fine,” he agreed, finally, his tone matching Mac’s in coldness.  “I’ll get her things.”  Jack turned to leave, refusing to even look at Mac, refusing to see the shattered look on his lover’s face, refusing to acknowledge Mac was hurting, too.  As far as Jack was concerned, Mac was a traitor to everything they’d built in the last two weeks.  Jack wasn’t sure he could ever forgive the other man.  But there was nothing left for Jack to do but pack up all the pieces and hand Kelly over to some stranger.

His heart was broken.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac explains to the team why they can't keep Kelly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angst, but I promise, it gets better at the end.

Jack stomped into _the spare_ (no longer Kelly’s, damn Mac, anyway) room and began throwing Kelly’s things into a pile.  It was a pitiful amount, easily fitting into a large duffle.  All his dreams, reduced to one bag.  He found the wooden toy Mac had made Kelly.  It was conical, with a top and bottom that spun and removable pieces in the middle.  Mac had stained it in alternating light and dark tones.  Kelly loved that toy.  It had been made with such love, such tenderness, so unlike the cold-hearted monster who wanted to throw it all away.

Jack heard Mac come up behind him, but didn’t turn around.

“I’m sorry,” Mac said.

Jack whirled on him.  “Don’t.  Don’t tell me you’re sorry when you’re not.  Just don’t.”  His despair had turned to anger, and he was taking it out on Mac, the one he saw as the cause.

Mac stood in the doorway, Kelly’s carrier in one hand, tears streaming down his face.  Jack refused to be moved.  “Please, Jack, don’t make this any harder than it is.”

“Harder?” Jack snarled.  “How could it possibly be any harder?  You’re asking me to give up the one thing I ever really wanted.”  He snatched Kelly’s carrier from Mac.  “Give me that.  You don’t deserve to have her.”

“What about me?” Mac asked in a small voice.  “I thought you wanted me.”

Jack sighed.  “I thought I did, too.  Right now, I’m not so sure.”

Mac flinched as though he’d been slapped.  Jack couldn’t deny he’d thought about doing just that, though he’d never raise a hand against the man he loved.  And yes, he did love Mac.  This didn’t change that, though it did change their relationship, probably irrevocably.

Kelly, sensing the tense atmosphere, started to cry.  “It’s alright, sweetheart,” Jack cooed.  “I won’t let anyone hurt you.  I promised you, and I’m not going to break that promise.”  He didn’t add “like some people,” though the implication was clear.

Jack grabbed the bag and brushed past Mac.  “Let’s get this over with.”

The ride to Phoenix was spent in icy silence except for the sounds of Jack murmuring soothingly to Kelly.  He sat in the back with the baby while Mac drove.  This was Jack’s last chance to spend time with the child he thought would be his daughter, and he wasn’t going to miss a second of it.

They reached Phoenix, and Jack gathered up the baby and the bag, still not speaking to Mac.  The elevator ride was uncomfortable with Jack pretending the other man wasn’t there.  Jack’s steps got slower and slower as he approached the war room.  Maybe if he didn’t go in, he could pretend this wasn’t happening.  He knew it was a vain hope.

“There you are,” Matty snapped when they walked in.  “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show up.”

“Sorry,” Mac said.  “We had something to take care of.”

Riley took one look at Mac’s tear-stained face and the set of Jack’s jaw and knew something was up.  “What’s going on?”

Mac took a deep breath, trying to hold himself together.  He directed his words to Matty.  “We need you to call Child Services.  We’ve decided to give Kelly up.”

“You decided,” Jack muttered under his breath, but everyone heard him anyway.

Matty searched the young agent’s face with her piercing gaze, the one that could penetrate any façade and get at what you were really thinking.  “Are you sure about this?”

Mac nodded.

Jack couldn’t hold back any longer.  “No, we’re most definitely _not_ sure about this.”

“Jack, we talked about this,” Mac said, the warning clear in his tone.  “This is for the best.”

“How do you know?” Jack demanded.  “How do you know what’s going to happen now?  How do you know she’s not going to end up with someone like her father, or worse?  How do you know she’s not going to end up with somebody who starves her and beats her?”

Jack’s words clearly hit home, but Mac stood his ground.  “I’m sure Matty will make sure she finds a good home,” he said.  His voice shook.

“Of course I will,” Matty assured them.  “In fact, I already have someone in mind.”

Mac looked relieved.  “See, Jack?  I told you it would all work out.”

Jack wasn’t so easily placated.  “Who are these people?  Did you run a background check?  How do you know they’ll take care of Kelly?”

“I can vouch for them personally,” Matty said.  “I guarantee you they have nothing but Kelly’s best interests at heart.”

“Who?” Jack demanded, again.

“You,” Matty said calmly, as though she hadn’t just dropped a bomb in the room.

Mac and Jack were floored.  “What?!?” they exclaimed in unison.

“Matty, I already said we can’t keep her,” Mac continued.

“Why not?” Jack asked.  “Even Matty thinks we can do it.”

“Jack, we went over this,” Mac said, patiently.  “We’re not the family she needs.  We can’t be there for her.”

“Maybe you can’t,” Riley said.  “Not all the time anyway,”--she gestured to herself, Bozer, and Matty--“but we can.”

“Look, I appreciate it,” Mac said, “but we can’t ask you to do that.”

“Why not?” Bozer asked.  “We’re family, and that’s what family does for each other.  You’re acting like you’re all alone in this, but you’re not.  You’ve got us.”

“Damn straight,” Riley said.  She glanced guiltily at Kelly.  “I mean, darn straight.”

Something akin to hope blossomed on Mac’s face.  “Really?  You mean that?  Even you, Matty?”

“Even me,” Matty confirmed.  “Look, I can’t take the two of you out of the field because you’re my best agents, but there’s a lot of the time I don’t need all four of you.  I can try to make sure to keep at least one of you behind to watch Kelly.  And if I can’t, I promise I’ll watch her myself.”

Mac looked awed.  Jack shared the feeling.  He knew Matty liked Kelly, but he hadn’t expected this out of the director.  He hadn’t expected her to put herself out there like that.  “You’d do that for us?”

“I’d do it for Kelly,” Matty corrected.  The hint of a smile quirked the corners of her mouth.  “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m getting kind of fond of her.”

“I knew it!” Jack crowed.  He turned to Mac.  “Can we keep her?  Please?” he asked, hopefully.

Mac nodded, slowly.  A grin slowly overtook his features.  “Yeah.  Yeah, we can keep her.”

Jack fist-pumped the air.  “Yes!  I knew you’d come around!”

“Okay, you were right,” Mac admitted, unable to keep from smiling.  He lifted Kelly out of her carrier.  This time Jack let him.  The blond held up the baby, looking at her happily.  “Did you hear that?  What do you say?  Do you want to stay with your daddies?”

Jack’s heart filled to overflowing when Mac said that.  It had happened.  They were going to be a real family.

“Well, I’m glad that’s settled,” Matty said, breaking into his thoughts, “because I already started the paper work.”

Of course she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, that was close. But, it all worked out. :) You didn't really think it wouldn't, did you?
> 
> Just one more chapter to wrap it up, then you'll get the wedding, catching Kelly's father, and plenty of fluff. :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big day is finally here.

Jack straightened his tie for what must have been the hundredth time.  He eyed himself critically in the mirror.  “How do I look?  Is the suit to drab?  Is the tie to bright?  What about this shirt?  Maybe I should change.  I’m going to change.”

Mac put a hand on his husband’s shoulder.  “Relax, you look great.  Besides, this is just a formality.”

“Says the man who isn’t going to be judged.  I have to make a good impression.  What if they decide I’m not fit to raise Kelly?”

Mac gave Jack a soft kiss.  “You’re the fittest person I know.  The judge knows that.  He’s not going to turn you down.”

Jack sighed and adjusted his tie again.  “I hope you’re right.”

“I know I am,” Mac said, confidently.  “Now, let’s go or we’re going to be late.”

Jack groaned.  “Oh, God, I can’t be late.”

“Then, let’s go.”

Jack gathered up Kelly, resplendent in a pink (yes, pink.  Mac had balked, but he’d been overridden by Jack and Bozer.  The blond had appealed to Riley for help, but she’d refused to take sides) dress with white lace edging the sleeves, neck, and hem.  She had a big pink bow (“Really?”  Mac had said.  “Does that have to be pink, too?  Can’t you get white?”, but again, he’d been overridden) in her blond hair.  She looked adorable.  Jack was sure she’d win the judge’s heart.  “Let’s go, sweetheart.  Time to see if Daddy Jack has what it takes.”

“Dada,” she said, patting his nose.  Mac had been grumpy that Kelly called Jack “dada”, especially when she started calling him “mama”, but a coworker with young kids of her own explained that was probably her attempts to say Mac and Jack, and they’d better get used to it, because it was going to be that way for a while.  It was Jack’s turn to be grumpy when he found out Kelly wasn’t really calling him “daddy”, but he got over it.

Despite Mac’s reassurances, Jack was nervous all the way to the courthouse.  Today was the day the judge would approve Kelly’s adoption.  Matty had fast-tracked it, so they only had to wait six months instead of 2-7 years, and that was mostly so Mac and Jack would have time to get married.  Matty said it wouldn’t make any difference, but it made Jack feel better.  Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t been planning on marrying Mac eventually.  This just gave him a good reason.

Jack was glad he didn’t have to wait years for this.  He wanted them to be a real family as soon as possible.  The marriage was a big step towards that, and now his little family was complete.  Almost.  As soon as a judge signed off.  Assuming he did.  Which he would.  Jack hoped.

Jack nearly snapped at Mac the fifth time the younger man told him to calm down.  Mac couldn’t know how nervous Jack was.  After all, Mac didn’t have to go through this—Matty  had gone above and beyond and gotten a new birth certificate issued for Kelly.  She was now officially Kelly MacGyver, the biological daughter of Mac and a fictional woman who’d died in childbirth.  Kelly Burns had, for all intents and purposes, disappeared off the face of the earth (none of them had the heart to kill her, even on paper).  Everyone agreed it was better this way, just in case her birth parents ever tried to track her down.  Jack was pretty sure her father wouldn’t dare try after what Jack had done to him for abandoning Kelly the first time, but better safe than sorry.  He felt a little bad that her mother would never get to know Kelly, but there was nothing to be done about that.  Kelly would grow up knowing only Mac and Jack as her parents, and Jack was just fine with that.  Assuming, of course, that damn judge agreed.

After what seemed forever, Jack was called up.  Mac, Riley, and Bozer smiled encouragingly at him from the front row.  Even Matty was there, looking stern as always, but there was a softness to her mouth that said she was rooting for Jack, too.  Mac had Kelly on his lap, and he waved her little hand at Jack as he moved to the podium.

The judge was an older, stern-looking gentleman.  Jack’s heart stuttered in his chest.  Oh, God, what if he wasn’t sympathetic?  What would Jack do then? 

The judge spoke before Jack could go into a full-blown panic attack.  “I have here a petition for adoption for Jack Dalton for Kelly MacGyver.”  He peered at Jack over his glasses.  “Is that you?”

Jack shifted nervously from side to side.  “Yes, sir.”

“And you are the husband of Angus MacGyver, the child’s biological father?”

“Yes, sir.”  Another man might have stumbled on the lie, but Jack lied for a living, so it came easily.

The judge shuffled the papers in front of him, humming thoughtfully.  Jack started to sweat, wondering if the judge saw something in the documents that raised a red flag.

Finally, the judge looked up at Jack again.  “Well, it says here, you’ve passed the home visits, your references have been checked, and the waiting period has passed.  If there are no objections, this adoption is approved.”  He banged his gavel with authority.  He pushed some documents across the desk towards Jack.  “Just sign these, and you’re done.”

Jack visibly relaxed.  “Thank you, sir.”

“Of course.  It’s always a pleasure to approve a petition for someone so deserving.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jack said again.  He moved to sign the documents with a flourish.  It was official.  Kelly was now his.

His friends broke into applause.  Jack made his way back to them, grinning broadly.  They stood up to meet him.  He accepted hugs from Riley and Bozer, and a “congratulations, Dalton,” from Matty.  Then he came to his husband and daughter.  Jack enveloped them both in a huge hug and planted a jubilant kiss on Mac’s lips.

“Congratulations, Daddy Jack,” Mac said.

“Dada,” Kelly said.

Jack’s heart overflowed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize changing Kelly's identity is unrealistic, but since when has the show been realistic? I wanted to make sure Kelly's parents could never come challenge Mac and Jack, and if Phoenix can't create a new identity, who can?
> 
> That's the end of this installment. Hope you enjoyed it! Wedding will be next, then some cute little time stamps.


End file.
